The present invention relates to a fire suppression system for aircraft storage containers. Fire suppression systems used in aircraft are generally well known. However, Applicants are unaware of any such system specifically designed to be removably placed within cargo containers in the baggage compartment of an aircraft and including means for sensing adverse conditions and also including means for communicating in the cockpit of the aircraft so that pilots and other crew can monitor the conditions within storage containers stored within the baggage compartment of an aircraft.
In a flying aircraft, a fire or conditions leading to initiation of a fire can easily be fatal to the aircraft's continuing ability to safely fly. On Jul. 12, 2013, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 aircraft caught fire while sitting on the tarmac at London's Heathrow Airport. Earlier, on Jan. 7, 2013, a fire broke out aboard an empty Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Boston's Logan Airport. The cause of that fire was a defective battery. Luckily, both of these incidents occurred when the aircraft were on the ground.
The passengers and crew of ValuJet flight 592 were not so lucky when, on May 11, 1996, their DC-9 aircraft caught fire and crashed in the Florida Everglades. It was later found that the fire was caused by a number of chemical oxygen generators that were improperly stored in the baggage compartment. After this incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that all Class D cargo holds have smoke detectors and/or fire suppression systems. While such systems are now installed in the cargo holds of aircraft, the problem is that a fire is rarely started in the cargo hold. Rather, if a fire is going to start, typically, it starts within large cargo containers that are loaded into the aircraft cargo hold. Punctuating the need for improved fire suppression systems in aircraft cargo containers, UPS Flight 6 out of Dubai, a 747-400 cargo plane, crashed on Sep. 3, 2010 near Dubai International Airport after a load of batteries in a cargo container caught fire.
To maximize the ability of an aircraft to store baggage and other items, typically, cargo containers are designed so that their outer walls mimic the shape of the cargo hold so that such storage containers can be easily loaded and unloaded and provide the maximum volume of storage of items within the cargo hold. Doors accessing the cargo hold are specifically sized and configured to allow easy placement of these cargo containers within the cargo hold and easy removal therefrom so that these containers can be loaded and unloaded. A blueprint of the cargo hold of an aircraft easily shows that each cargo container is designed to be located in a specific location within the cargo hold due to the unique outer configuration of each cargo container mimicking the configuration of the location within the cargo hold where that specific container is to be located. As such, it is possible to numerically identify each cargo container with specificity. It would be advantageous to devise a system in which a portable fire detection and suppression system could be placed within each cargo container and each such system could be specifically identified with each such system communicating with the cockpit of an aircraft so that the pilots and other crew could closely monitor ambient conditions within the cargo hold of an aircraft and ensure rapid response to any adverse conditions. It is with these thoughts in mind that the present invention was developed.
Applicants are aware of the following prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,200,379 to Manfredi et al, discloses sensors for detecting conditions aboard an aircraft or inside various compartments of the aircraft. Included in these conditions are fire and smoke. The system includes means for notifying pilots or crew members of an adverse condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,035,520 to Hanania discloses a discrete intelligence system which includes the ability to sense when a cargo crate has been opened in an unauthorized fashion. Hanania also discloses that such a sensor can be used on canisters or other containers to detect temperature changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,105 to Chen discloses a fire alarm algorithm using smoke and gas sensors that may be located in the compartments of an aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,960,987 to Dohi et al. discloses a fire alarm system, fire sensor, fire receiver, and repeater and contemplate use of a plurality of sensors which when triggered identify location, including the use of a transmitter and receiver.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,274 to Hassett discloses a system in which a plurality of sensors are mounted on a vehicle to monitor characteristics including temperature and to wirelessly communicate those conditions.
U.S. Published Application No. US 2007/0241879 to Jobe et al. discloses wireless interconnection between components of a fire and security protection system and a control panel, controller and/or computer network.
U.S. Published Application No. US 2005/0128093 to Genova et al. discloses a self-protected fire sensing alarm apparatus and method that contemplates use in an aircraft seating area as well as the use of a remote monitor.
The present invention differs from the teachings of these references as contemplating an integrated system including locating discrete fire sensing and suppression systems in cargo containers located within the cargo compartment of an aircraft and wireless communication between those systems and a human to machine interface located in the cockpit of that aircraft.